now that i found you
by JustGail
Summary: Following a night of passion, Draco, Harry, and Ginny start figuring out their new dynamic. poly fic suggestive but not explicit EWE
1. if you say it with your hands

**A/N**: I had a sort of craving for this poly ship and realized no content for it exists, as far as I can tell. So even though I should definitely be writing it'll be over and i'll still be asking when, or the ten page script I need to hand in this Thursday, I ended up writing almost two thousand words of this thing instead. I think this one will be short, and hopefully, I will be able to get back to literally any of my other long-term projects soon.

The name of the fic is a song by Carly Rae Jepsen. First chapter title is from Treacherous by Taylor Swift. Edit: Since FF doesn't allow long chapter titles, the first chapter's full title is "i'll do anything you say if you say it with your hands".

Enjoy.

* * *

Before he knew it, it was morning. He blinked at the sun shining through his window, a bit surprised, as he was completely unsure as to when he fell asleep, and surprise to find that he was not sleeping alone. In front of him was a splash of red hair, bright and distracting; behind him was… someone holding him, someone male, if only judging by what was pressing against him. He didn't dare move, afraid that he would wake them up, unwilling to let go of the bliss of last night. And it was a wonderful night –

Behind him, Draco shifted in his sleep, pushing himself up against Harry. What a strange experience. What a bizarre, unexpected, wonderful experience. He wondered if Draco and Ginny would mind if he asked them to stay here forever. He never wanted to leave this bed. He never wanted to exist in a world where he wasn't in Draco's embrace, where he couldn't smell Ginny's hair, where their warm, bare bodies pressed against him from both sides.

Draco groaned, a deep, guttural sound that did things to Harry he couldn't quite express. Then, he nuzzled against Harry in a way that seemed deliberate, almost as if…

"You awake?" Harry whispered.

With his nose rubbing against his neck, Harry could tell that Draco was shaking his head. "No," he murmured, and pressed a kiss against Harry's back. "Never."

"Will you keep it down?" Ginny hissed. "_Some_ of us are trying to sleep here."

Harry mimicked Draco and pressed a kiss to the back of the neck. "Sorry," he said, right by her ear. She squirmed, which was less than ideal, because he was remembering the way she felt against him last night –

"Don't get too excited there," Ginny said, raising her voice a little. "I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

"Are we getting out of bed, then?" Draco asked. "Because I'm entirely unprepared for that."

Ginny laughed, a sound that never failed to bring a smile to Harry's face. "I'm going to wash a little," she said anyway. "I'll be right back."

She slipped out of Harry's embrace, and he made a small sound of shock at the sudden lack of warmth against him. He watched her as she walked into the adjacent bathroom. Her body was gorgeous, the athletic body that comes with her job as a professional Quidditch player, and as much as it pained him, he did love to watch her go.

"Don't worry," Draco murmured. "I'm still here."

Harry wriggled, struggling to turn around to face him. Draco relented, loosening his grip on Harry just a bit. When he was finally facing him, he kissed him, long and deep. Draco had just a bit of stubble, which, although rough on his skin, was surprisingly pleasant to kiss. He couldn't believe he'd wasted his youth hating this man. Well, he could. But he was very glad they did not hate each other anymore.

"Having fun, are you?" Ginny said sarcastically from behind Harry.

He flashed a shy grin in her direction. "You could always join us, you know."

"Oh, I plan to," she said brightly, "but first – " She hesitated. "Don't you think we should… talk? About last night?"

Harry groaned. "I guess we should," he agreed," I just wished we needn't."

He disentangled himself from Draco embrace and sat up in the bed. "Are you at least going to sit down?" _Not that I mind if you stay up, as long as I can watch you_, he thought. Maybe in private he would've said that. Ginny and him had been together a long time, and were very comfortable with each other. But Draco… he was definitely attracted to him, but it was new, very new, and he didn't want to risk making him uncomfortable.

Ginny did decide to sit, but at the edge of the bed, far too far away from Harry for his tastes. He didn't complain.

"Last night…" she began.

"Was incredible," Draco finished, sitting up as well. "Maybe the best night in my life."

"Are you serious?" Harry said. He took Draco's hand. "In all 25 years of your life?"

"Yes," Draco said adamantly.

"Me too," Harry admitted.

They both looked at Ginny expectantly. She sighed. "Yeah, fine, me too."

"I never, in my wildest dreams – " Harry started. He took a deep breath. "Honestly, this is far better than anything I could've thought possible. I…" He trailed off, hoping his meaning was clear nonetheless.

"Yeah," Ginny said, pulling her feet under her.

"So…" Draco said. "What now?"

* * *

Draco wished he wasn't the one who asked the question, because now it felt somewhat like his responsibility. He loved being with Harry; he liked Ginny. He knew Harry loved her, and would probably keep loving her, and he didn't really mind sharing. _Is that what's going to happen now? Are we going to share?_

"I would like to," Harry said shyly, and only then did Draco realize he had said the last part out loud. "In fact… I would love to."

Draco felt himself smile. He looked over Harry, appreciating his naked form, at least from the waist up. Harry may not play Quidditch that often anymore, but he still had a Seeker's build, tall and lean. His hair was an even worse mess than it usually was, a truly horrifying case of bed hair, and Draco could only just barely stop himself from leaning over and running his hands through it.

"I…" Draco said, and stopped himself. He didn't know what to say.

"Are we doing this?" Ginny said.

"I think so." Harry's smile dazzled him. Harry took the hand that wasn't busy holding Draco's and reached for Ginny. "Come here."

Ginny did, this time seating herself between Draco and Harry, who stopped holding hands in order to let her in. Then, she reached out to both of them. Draco took her hand immediately, and so did Harry.

"I'll admit that I'm a bit jealous," Draco said. "The two of you already live together."

"Well…" Ginny said. "You could always move in."

"We only just had one night, Ginny," Harry said. "He doesn't have to be ready to move in if he doesn't want to."

"But I do," Draco said. "And yet, also, you're right. It's so early."

Ginny pondered this for a moment. "What about a drawer?" she said. "That way, you can stay, or not stay. It'll be your choice every night."

"I like it," Harry said. He looked at Draco, and Draco could've sworn that they were a brighter green this morning than they had ever been before. "Draco? What do you think?"

"Yeah. Yes," Draco amended. "I would love to."

"And a toothbrush," Ginny added. "Don't forget the toothbrush."

"Yes," Draco said, and then he leaned in to kiss her, a light kiss than only lasted a few seconds. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said breathily. Suddenly, she looked… hungry. "Kiss me again."

Draco obliged.


	2. got to know for sure

Ginny could've died that moment, and she wouldn't have complained. Kissing Draco Malfoy was something she never would've imagined happening until she did; once she had, she couldn't get enough of it. It was as intoxicating as kissing Harry was, something she never got used to. She loved Harry like she hadn't loved anyone else, but now…

Her heart felt open. She had plenty of room, and, although unexpected, Draco had walked right in.

Breaking off the kiss, she turned around and kissed Harry instead. Around her, Draco and Harry held hands. When that kiss broke off, Draco and Harry kissed too.

She forgot herself, let herself sink in to the experience. Hard bodies against her. Hands in each other's hair. Kisses all over her body, their bodies. It was just as incredible at last night, just as wonderful and exciting.

She felt like she had been at the edge of precipice, and had just jumped off the edge. She felt the way she always felt when she was flying; powerful, fearless, weightless. She never wanted to feel any other way but this.

At the end, lying there, blissful, she breathed in their scent, held herself as close to Harry as possible. She waited for that blissful feeling to pass, but it never did.

Eventually, she fell asleep again.

* * *

She woke up again around noon. She panicked when she looked at the clock on the wall, before remembering that it was Sunday; there was no practice on Sundays. She was alone in the bed, and the bed was no longer warm. She got dressed and followed the smell of toast to the kitchen, where Harry was frying some eggs. Draco was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning," she said to Harry, who, unfortunately, was also dressed. She walked over him and kissed him quickly.

"Good morning," Harry replied. "You just missed Draco. He got up and within two minutes flooed away. Didn't even eat any breakfast. Want some?" He gestured to the scrambled eggs. "I also put some bread in the toaster."

"Yes please." She took two plates out of one of the cabinets, set them on the counter, and grabbed strawberry jam from the pantry, too. Then, she took two forks and a spoon out of a drawer. "That smells delicious."

"Hope so," he said. He turned off the gas and put half the eggs onto one plate, half on the other. She scooped a generous amount of jam onto one of the plates and pushed it towards one of the seats. Methodically, she used the fork to cut a piece of the eggs, and dipped it in the strawberry jam.

"I'm never going to get used to being this decadent," she said between bites. Harry hummed in agreement. The toaster popped the bread, and he levitated one onto each plate. He grabbed butter from the fridge, and then sat down next to her and started eating.

They lived in a Muggle apartment, partially for anonymity's sake, partially because Harry had been building his relationship with his cousin and his wife and didn't want to scare them away from his home, partially because Harry had grown up in a Muggle house and found it more convenient. That meant they had a refrigerator, a gas stove, air-conditioning, and a television; this did not mean that it was a magic free household. Ginny was quick to learn, and did not mind living in a household like this. Ginny smiled at the thought of Draco learning to live in their two bedroom, mostly mundane apartment; it surely would be very different to Malfoy Manor.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing," she said. "Just… last night. I never would've thought…" She trailed off.

Harry smiled. "No, yeah, I get it," he said. "In school… in school this would've never happened. But I guess life is strange that way." He had finished his food; he always ate extremely quickly, as if he was afraid it would disappear any moment. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he rose, and placed his dish in the sink. "I've got to go, Ron has some sort of wedding emergency."

"Oh? What kind of wedding emergency?"

"Nothing that involves you or Hermione," he assured her. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Harry flooed to the flat that Hermione and Ron shared. It was a homey sort of place, full of books (Hermione's, mostly) and Quidditch paraphernalia (Ron's, most likely) and assorted baked goods (Mrs. Weasley's, most definitely). Harry liked it here; it always felt like he was entering the brain of his best friends, in a good way. "Ron? Mate? You home?"

"I'm here!" came a muffled cry from… somewhere. He followed the voice.

"Where's that?"

"Bedroom!"

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, coming to a stop next to the appropriate door. "Should I just wait out here, then?"

"Oi, mate, just come in here and help me, won't you?"

Stifling a laugh, he entered the bedroom. It was by far messier than he expected it to be, with clothing of various colors and shapes were strewn about on the floor and bed. And Ron was stood right in the middle of it, half dressed, with two pairs of dress robes – one a deep blue, the other a surprisingly loud shade of red – one on each arm. "Help me," Ron said helplessly.

"I'll admit, I'm a bit confused," Harry said, laughing a little. "What – "

"Get – Merlin's beard, I need to know what I'm wearing to my – " Ron was very visibly trying not to curse very loudly and very emphatically. "Listen, I called you here because the tailor can't be arsed to actually help me. So you have to, because Hermione thinks this is all done, and she'll kill me if it ain't."

"She probably will," Harry said, "but aren't you getting you dress robes in black?"

"I am!" Ron exclaimed. "But apparently there are _cuts_. I don't know what that means, because it all looks the same to me, but I was given these to try on and there's like seven million of them, Harry! Seven! Million!" Following the emphasis on the last word, Ron dropped both sets of robes he'd been holding and sat down on – almost falling onto – the bed, which, again, was also covered with robes. Harry counted nine sets of robes.

"Don't you have to return those?" Harry asked.

"What? Oh," Ron said. "Yeah, but they're – oh, I don't know, they have some spell on them or another, I'm rubbish with this stuff. Hermione's generally better, but – " Ron groaned. "I dunno, I just need these done, _today_. So?"

"So what?"

"Which one do you like?" Ron demanded.

"Erm," Harry said. "I haven't actually seen them yet."

"Right, right!" Ron said, jumping up, and running into the bathroom. Then he ran out, grabbed one of the robes, and ran back in. He closed the door and, presumably, began changing. "So how've you been?"

"Well," Harry said, sitting down on the bed and fidgeting with a sleeve from a lilac set of robes next to him. "I uh… I slept with Draco last night."

"YOU WHAT?" Ron screamed, opening the door. One of his hands was in the robes, the other wasn't. "WHAT ABOUT MY SISTER YOU – "

"She was there too!" Harry yelled defensively.

Ron froze, unable to process what just happened. "Oh. Okay." He closed the door and emerged quickly, dressed this time. "I'm going to need you to start from scratch. You slept with Malfoy… and Ginny was there?"

Harry nodded.

"Like, watching, or… Ugh, I can't even think about it." Ron shuddered. "You're my best mate, mate, but I don't know if I can handle this conversation."

"Sure," Harry said, "but I think Ginny's probably turning to Hermione, and I need to talk about it with _someone_, which I guess leaves Neville, but he's sort of out of the loop – "

"No, you know what?" Ron said, raising his hands. "Okay. Talk to me, but… stay…"

"PG?" Harry suggested.

"I dunno what that means, but if it means what I mean, then yeah, sure." Ron grimaced. "What do you think of this?"

"I… guess it's nice?" Harry said. "It makes you look taller, somehow."

Ron nodded, grabbed another robe, and turned away from Harry. "I think if we had this conversation with this door between us," he said, stepping into the bathroom, "it'll help me, just a tad. So," he said, closing the door, "go ahead."

"Well," Harry said. "Ginny and I were out, and we ran into Draco. And… I guess we invited him to sit with us, and we had such a good time, that when the pub closed, we invited him back to our place, and things sort of…"

"I get it, I get it!" Ron yelled, a little muffled from the other side of the door. "I'm coming out." He did, wearing the astonishingly red robes from earlier. "What d'ya think?"

"The red is awful," Harry said. "Do we have to do this?"

"Yes! If Hermione finds out from Ginny or Luna or anybody else this wasn't done last week like I swore it would be – I would be dead, I would. And the color doesn't matter, anyway. It itches," Ron said suddenly. "I'll try that one you're sitting on instead. Get up!"

Harry did, and when Ron went back into the bathroom, he continued. "Well, you know, it's not like this came out of nowhere," Harry said. "I suppose we've been building up to this for… years now. Since we bumped into him in Diagon Alley, remember that?"

"That was what, two, three years ago?"

"Must be, yeah," Harry mused. "And we kept running into each other, sometimes purposefully, sometimes not… He's… Oh, I – "

"I suppose he's handsome, inne?" Ron said. "And you were obsessed with him all sixth year."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Well," Harry said when Ron left the bathroom again. "I was right, wasn't I? I think that's a winner, right there."

"Really?" Ron said doubtfully.

"Yes," Harry replied forcefully, "and not just because I'm not sure I can stand another minute of this. Why didn't you do this with Hermione last week, like any normal fiancé would?"

"Is that what you're going to do with Ginny?" Ron retorted. "Or is it going to be _Draco_?"

"Hey!" Harry protested. "Low blow."

"Yeah, cause you." Ron muttered something under his breath that Harry did not quite catch, although its meaning was clear to him nonetheless. "Fine, fine, we're done."

"Thank Merlin," Harry said. "Talk later? I have some errands to run."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Ron waved him off. "See you later."

* * *

**A/N**: Chapter title from Carly Rae Jepsen's For Sure.


	3. i like the idea of you

Draco Malfoy regretted leaving the way that he did, but also, he couldn't imagine having stayed one minute longer. It was simply too bizarre.

Life after the war… it was difficult for him, to say the least. His family name no longer carried the weight it once did. It had been especially hard, as, for a while, his entire family fortune – the mansion included – had been confiscated by the Ministry. But eventually, when the trials ended and the world moved on, as it did, most of the Malfoy's vast fortune was returned to them, their mansion still intact, and somewhere along the way, Draco had found out that Harry Potter was somewhat involved in this decision.

He never would've guessed that they would go from hating each other to friends to…

He felt himself blush, and shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. He unlocked the door and stepped into his bookshop.

Officially, he didn't own this bookshop. Pansy had helped him with paperwork and had somehow become the face of the business, which was good, because no matter how rare his selection, he had no doubt plenty of people would refuse to buy from one of the most famous ex-Death Eaters still residing in the British Isles. He essentially paid Pansy handsomely to screw around in the office all day, while he came once a week under the guise of visiting a friend at work, in practice balancing the books and making executive decisions. Not that he didn't actually need to talk to a friend on this particular afternoon.

He came in through the back entrance and climbed the stairs directly to the office, which was a spacey set of rooms at the end of the second floor, for anybody who didn't know about the back entrance (which was everybody except for him and Pansy – it was guarded by a set of simple but powerful spells). He began speaking the moment he opened the door: "Pansy, I need to – "

"We have a guest," Pansy said, interrupting him. And indeed, there was another person in the room with Pansy. The door slammed behind him, and he finally registered who the other person was.

"Hey," Ginny said, smiling wide. "Nice of you to join us."

* * *

Ginny couldn't help but smirk a little at the shocked expression on Draco's face. It was a distinct sort of pleasure, being able to cause such a strong reaction in the haughty and impenetrable (ha) Draco Malfoy. A privilege afforded to a very select few.

"He-hey," he stammered, and then, having composed himself, repeated: "Hello. Um – "

Pansy coughed, and Draco looked at her, expectantly. Ginny preferred to keep her gaze exactly where it was, but tore her eyes away from him, too.

"Right. So I'm going – for a late lunch. I'll be back in an hour, and we can talk then. Ginevra." Pansy got up, nodded in Ginny's direction, and left the office from the back door. Considering Ginny hadn't even noticed the back door until Draco walked through it, Ginny figured it was probably only meant for sneaking in and out.

Draco sat down on a two-seater couch across from Ginny. After a moment, he said: "Ginny, what are you – "

"I've come to talk you," she replied breezily. "I wanted to discuss something very important with you."

"How did you know to find me _here_?" Draco demanded.

She laughed; she couldn't help it. "My partner of seven years is _Harry Potter_. Come on."

* * *

Draco didn't know if that meant Harry had checked up on him, or if she'd used his influence to check up on him, or if they'd checked up on him together. He wasn't sure which option he preferred.

"That's actually what I've come to talk to you about," Ginny continued. "Harry."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Well…" Ginny sighed, and ran a hand through her hair, as if nervous, or unsure about what to say. He'd never seen Ginny as anything but completely confident, so this was… bizarre, to say the least. "I love him. I know you know that. And I know… you like him, a lot. But… You need to be careful."

"What? Why?!"

"Because he's vulnerable," Ginny said, exasperated. "You don't see it, because you jumped straight from teenager to adult, so you haven't seen the process he's been through but he wants – needs – _stability_. Not necessarily kids, or a family in a traditional sense – " Draco made a noise, but Ginny raised her hand. "Just let me finish. Harry's plenty strong on his own. But he's been through a lot in his life. You know that." She looked at him expectantly, and he nodded. He did. "We all have, of course. Merlin knows we all have. But when he approaches a relationship – he goes _all in_. Do you understand? He doesn't know how to tiptoe. So…" She looked down at her hands, and then raised her head to look directly at him. "Harry wants you in this. _I_ want you in this. But I don't want you in this if you're not in it for the long haul. Not… not in the drawer-and-a-toothbrush way we've been discussing."

"I am, though," Draco said. His heart was beating so loudly he could hear it; could Ginny? "I _am_ in this. In the way we've been discussing. The whole thing. I get that Harry is – " He broke off, unsure how to finish the sentence. "He's amazing. And if commitment is what he needs – if it's what _you_ need – " he shrugged. "I don't have a problem giving it."

Ginny smiled brightly at him and came over to him. He got up just in time for his arms to wrap around her; she barreled straight into him with a bear hug. Despite her muscly build, Ginny was really rather small, and she fit in his arms quite nicely. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, then unwrapped herself from him.

"I hope you know," she said slowly, "this means you've essentially committed yourself to the entire Weasley clan. You do know that, right? Harry's probably even more Weasley than I am."

He groaned. "Yes, I do. This wouldn't be limited just to holidays, would it?"

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "We're having brunch with Ron and Hermione next Sunday. Consider yourself invited both to that and to their wedding next month."

She kissed him quickly, and before he knew it, he was alone in the bookshop's office. I am _fucked_, he thought.

* * *

**A/N**: He's fucked because he, too, is in this for life.

Chapter title is a Tessa Violet song.

I've never written so much Ginny before. I hope y'all enjoyed it.


	4. caught in the middle

**A/N**: This one's a little long. I'm beginning to think this fic might be much longer than I hoped for. But I'm trying to tie it all up. Most of chapter five is already written, and I think chapter six will be the wedding. Maybe. There aren't that many plot threads in this fic, so I'm hoping the wedding chapter will be done. That said, I'm a pantser, and I've been wrong about my own writing before.

In a way, I sort of miss writing Jily, because I spent so much time with them that their voices just flowed out of me. I struggle a lot more with these three. I think I might just want to write stories about grownups, because I no longer am a teenager, if only just barely. I hope I'm doing a good job. It's weird to write about characters that are older than me again, after so long writing about characters that are younger than me.

That said, every single one of my WIPs that isn't fanfiction is YA. So who knows.

The title comes from dodie's song, In The Middle, which is about having a threesome. Seems appropriate.

* * *

Hermione Granger was a phenomenal friend, a fact that was often underappreciated. She agreed to have Draco at brunch the moment Ginny suggested it. Ron grumbled, but conceded that if Malfoy was going to stick around, they might as well find out whether they can coexist in the same room together _before_ they give him a formal invite to the wedding. Harry was especially pleased, because he hadn't even thought of it; in Ginny's opinion, this showed how clearly hopeless he was. "Where would you be without me?" she sighed as they got into bed Saturday night. Draco wasn't there, which was a real shame, in Ginny's opinion.

"I have no clue," Harry said. "My life would probably be a mess."

"You're a mess as is," Ginny pointed out, and he hit her playfully with one of the pillows. He wrapped his hands around her, though, and pretty soon she was unconscious.

* * *

Harry felt Ginny's breath even out and knew she was asleep. It was comforting, in a way, to know that she wasn't as nervous about tomorrow as he was. She was much sounder than he was. But it was hard to ignore the way his heart beat in his chest at the thought of Hermione and Ron disapproving of their relationship with Draco so soon. For so long, the three of them only had each other; their opinion mattered to him as much as Ginny's or Draco's did. Sometimes moreso. He was well aware of his faults by now, and Ginny's often matched his own; recklessness, for example. He hoped this wasn't reckless. He didn't want to give it up just yet.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but he dreamed of sneaking into Ginny's room the summer after the War. The warmth in his arms in real life and the hesitant embrace in his memories blended together, and when he woke up, he couldn't tell the difference. He also couldn't figure out _why_ he woke up, until he realized there was someone shoving him awake.

"Get up," Ginny whispered. "It's past nine."

Harry groaned and turned over, blinking at an incredibly blurry Ginny. He reached for the nightstand and put on his glasses. Ginny was already dressed and had her hair up. "Why are we waking up so early on a Sunday, again?"

"Brunch," she reminded him. "Hermione and Ron. And Draco. We – and by that I mean you – should be presentable, and I want to be at least fifteen minutes early. Go take a fucking shower."

"Alright, alright, no need to be rude about it," he said, but he made sure to grin so she knew he was teasing. Knowing she would hate kissing him before he brushed his teeth, he pushed her aside and got up. "When did we say – "

"Ten thirty, so get to it," she told him, and he did.

* * *

At about ten fifteen Harry joined Ginny in the living room and they Apparated together to the alley behind the Muggle restaurant Hermione had decided on. They waited at the entrance for the rest to join them, and Draco did soon enough. At that point they decided they would grab a table and wait for Ron and Hermione to join them; however they had underestimated Hermione, who had arrived a whole twenty minutes early. Ron was sitting with her, easy to spot in the crowd as an extremely tall, extremely skinny redhead. They had sat at a round table, thank Merlin, solving the potential issue of who would sit at which part of a rectangular table. Hermione waved at them, and the three of them walked over and sat down; Harry next to Ron, Ginny next to Hermione, and Draco right smack dab in the middle.

"Hey," Ginny said, smiling. Harry could tell that Draco was incredibly tense; was he nervous? Harry didn't think he had ever seen Draco nervous.

"Hey," Hermione said. "How've you been?"

"Good," Ginny said, and began telling a story Harry had already heard about an incident at the last match the Holyhead Harpies had played. Harry grabbed Draco's hand under the table, and felt rather than saw Draco's tension diffuse. Harry saw Ron pointedly look away from them.

"And what about you, Draco?" Hermione said suddenly. Draco jumped, obviously not expecting the question. "How have you been?"

"Oh, um," Draco said, looking nervous again. He tightened his grip on Harry's hand. "Well…"

"Is the bookstore doing well?" Hermione offered.

Draco stared at her for a moment. "Does _everyone_ know about that?"

Harry saw Ron begin formulating an answer, and jumped in before he could say anything. "Only the people in this room," he promised. "Hermione found out when she was looking into bookstores that hold rare items for a project. She ran a background check on a few of the owners to make sure nobody was hustling her. Something didn't sit right with her regarding one of the bookshops' paperwork…" He trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"Harry means to say he had someone spy on your bookshop," Ron said. "And you were spotted."

Draco cursed under his breath. "I thought I was being careful!"

"You were," Harry assured him. "You just weren't expecting…" He coughed. "A very dedicated and skilled individual to… be watching you."

"You mean you sent an Auror to spy on me," Draco said flatly.

"Yeah, mate," Ron said lazily. "Can we order yet? I'm starving."

Hermione flagged down a waitress, who brought over five menus. Draco seemed to be fascinated by the selection of unfamiliar Muggle foods, but Harry had decided on his order with only a glance at the options. When it seemed that everyone had settled on an option _but_ Draco, Harry and Hermione both offered some advice. With their guidance, he had his order picked out, and when the waitress came over, they each told her their order. "And some water for the table, please," Hermione said pleasantly.

The waitress nodded, stuck the pen into her front pocket, and left them alone.

"So…" Ron said awkwardly.

"So," Draco said carefully.

After a short pause, Hermione said, "I've been wondering – what made you open a bookshop? You don't need the money. Even without what the Ministry confiscated."

Draco breezed by the last comment, and said, "Lots of books, nobody to read them." When Hermione looked confused, he continued. "The Malfoy mansion had a library bigger than some national libraries. A lot of them were rare books or first editions. I kept a few favorites for myself, but I have no use for most of them. You're right, though," he said, surprising pretty much everyone at the table, "I don't need to money. I pay the workers an outrageous salary, and donate most of the rest of it to charities. Well, one charity."

Hermione tried to get him to expand on the last point, but he refused, and soon enough their meals arrived in any case. When the conversation picked up again, they went back to the safer territory of Quidditch. Ginny was incredibly biased, of course, and Harry was dedicated to cheering her on, but Ron was still and ardent fan of the Cannons, who had improved only a little since Harry first met Ron. Draco surprised them all by being a fan of the Wimbourne Wasps, who hadn't reached even the semifinals in the past four years. He shrugged off their incredulous expressions with a simple "My mother was a fan," and they decided collectively to let it go. Hermione wasn't the biggest fan of Quidditch, but she knew the rulebook by heart nonetheless; this meant that she supported the Harpies by default out of loyalty to her friend, but had no real investment in the conversation, except to make corrections. Eventually, they moved on to other subjects; Ron told them of an experiment gone wrong at the joke shop, and Harry told them that he got a birthday card from Dudley. The shock on everyone's faces needed to be explained to Draco, and Harry had a feeling he didn't fully understand the situation, but he promised Draco would get a more detailed explanation later.

By the time they were paying – Draco examining the Muggle money that Hermione and Harry produced from their wallets curiously – it was already twelve thirty. The brunch had been incredibly successful, and Hermione produced a wedding invitation from her purse. She handed it over to Draco, who accepted it without saying a word. Ginny had told Harry that she'd warned Draco this was going to receive an invite; still, he looked shocked to actually have one. Hermione gave everyone but Ron a kiss on the cheek, clearly surprising Draco again, and they all made their way into the back alley, where they each Apparated to their various destinations.


	5. if i love you then i love you too much

**A/N:** Honestly, this entire thing is just wish fulfillment. If *I* were writing this story, it wouldn't have nearly as much author appeal. Wait -

Chapter title from CRJ's "Too Much".

* * *

Draco had Apparated to Harry and Ginny's apartment with them, and Ginny went into the kitchen to make tea. Draco took his time examining the living room, something he hadn't had the chance to do the other night. They had sort of… rushed straight into the bedroom, and the next morning he had left in a hurry. Now, however, he took his time examining the various Muggle contraptions, including something Harry had called a television, and the books on the bookshelf above it, which were mostly Quidditch related, although a copy of Hogwarts: A History was also there. It looked untouched. At the end were some paperbacks Draco didn't recognize. He pulled one of them out. The cover said "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus". He wordlessly showed the cover to Harry, who smiled a bit.

"It's a Muggle classic," Harry explained. "Hermione found a copy she liked better, so she gave us her old one. Ginny's read about half of it, I think."

"What is it about?"

"Guilt," Ginny said, walking over with a tray with three mugs. "It's about guilt. The main character keeps running away from the consequences of his actions. I couldn't handle the cowardice after a while. It's there mostly because I think Hermione would be insulted if we got rid of it."

"How many books on that shelf are there because Granger would be insulted if you got rid of them?" Draco asked. He slipped the book back on the shelf, grabbed a mug, and sat down on one a chair.

"Pretty much all of the ones that aren't about Quidditch," Harry said, sipping his tea. "Except for the one about Herbology. That one's from Neville."

"Have you read _any_ of them?" Draco asked.

"He's read all of the Quidditch books more than once," Ginny said. "But I'm the only one who's touched the fiction. Hogwarts: A History has remained untouched since Hermione gave it to us… what, four years ago?"

Harry sipped his tea. "Sounds right to me. It was right when we moved into that tiny flat."

"Why did we do that, again?" Ginny asked.

"Because you insisted on paying half the rent," Harry reminded her, "and you didn't have much of an income at the time."

"Right," Ginny said. "Foolish of me. You're too rich as is."

Draco watched the back and forth silently, his heart aching at the sight of their easy banter. They'd been together for seven years; they knew each other so well, shared a history in a way that Draco didn't. He didn't know where he fit into that. Not yet.

Eventually, Harry noticed that Draco hadn't said anything in a while. In an effort to rope him into the conversation, he said, "You can borrow it if you like."

Draco didn't understand, and the confusion must have registered on his face, because Harry explained, "Frankenstein. Maybe you'll get some use out of it. We sure won't."

Draco nodded, unsure how to respond. For some reason, all of his words were stuck in his throat. His chest felt uncomfortably tight.

"Are you okay?" Harry said, worry creeping into his voice. He and Ginny both put their mugs on the tray.

"I don't know," he said honestly. Harry got up and came over to him, putting a hand on the back of his neck; Ginny plucked the mug out of his hands gently, and grabbed one of his hands. She raised it, put her lips to it; somehow, that loosened the tightness in his chest. Harry kissed him, and that loosened the lump in his throat.

That first night, a week ago, had been passionate. Not hurried, exactly, but intense in a way that he had never experienced before. This, however, was slow. So slow it was agonizing, but exciting nonetheless. It left him breathless. They embraced him, touched him all over, left him unable to speak. It was overwhelming. When they finished with him, he didn't think he could move. Harry kissed him again, and it felt lazy. Like they had all the time in the world. Maybe he did.

When he finally felt he could control his own body again, he returned the favor. To both of them.

* * *

Draco Apparated back to his house to gather some of his things. He said he wouldn't be long, but Ginny told him to take his time, so he decided to take a short break. He lay on the bed, not thinking of anything in particular. He stared at the ceiling, trying to avoid thinking of the last hour or so. Every time he did, he felt himself get excited, and he wanted to calm down, pull himself together, think seriously on what he was doing.

Was he losing his damn mind? He must be. In Hogwarts, he never would have imagined this outcome. Then again, he wasn't who he had been in Hogwarts any longer. In Hogwarts, he had kissed whomever he liked – or, almost everyone. He spent his days as king of his little piece of the world. And then…

Well, it wasn't easy living with his choices, but at least he eventually began making the right ones.

He wondered, if he got married to a half-blood, if his father would even show up to the wedding. He wondered if he would show up to any wedding whatsoever. Probably not.

Feeling himself spiraling, he decided to take a short walk around the neighborhood, to clear his mind. Some air would do him some good, he thought. He was sorely mistaken; he came back even more miserable than before, with the summer heat chasing him into the house, which was magically cooled.

"I can do this," he whispered to himself. "I can spend the night with them. I won't lose my mind over one more evening."

He gathered his things – a toothbrush included – and Apparated to their kitchen. He could hear their voices, so he inched towards to bedroom. The door was closed, but before he could knock on it, he heard his name.

* * *

"I just don't know what to think about it," Ginny was saying. She and Harry had ended up in the bedroom, trying to find a spell that would extend it, but only a little bit, and that wouldn't twist reality around. It was surprisingly difficult, especially since neither of them was particularly good at household charms. "I don't know if Draco feels the same way about me as I do about him. I think he might be in this just for you."

"I seriously doubt that," Harry said. "You're incredible. I can see that. He can see that. He doesn't have to say it in words. You can see it every time he looks at you."

"I don't know," she said skeptically. She waved her wand at the bed and said, "Augeo paullum."

"Aha!" Harry said. "We have a winner." The bed had indeed extended just enough that it had room for three people.

There was a knock on the door. Draco's voice sounded from beyond it. "I'm back, and I'm coming in," he warned. "I hope you're not decent in there."

Ginny panicked a little, hoping Draco hadn't heard anything before he knocked, but when he opened the door and stepped inside, Draco's expression betrayed nothing. He tsked and said, "I'm disappointed in the both of you. Fully clothed in the bedroom. What a waste."

Harry chuckled. "We were just expanding the bed." He gestured towards it, and Draco nodded with approval.

"Seems like a success to me. Although, I can't help but wonder why all that space is needed."

Harry hesitated, so Ginny answered instead. "Nightmares. Harry lashes out sometimes."

"Ah," Draco said awkwardly, clearly unsure how to respond. "Does this… happen often?"

"Not so much anymore," Harry said, then coughed. "I'm going to get some water." He left the room quickly and unceremoniously.

"It's a sore spot," Ginny explained. "I only mentioned it cause it'll affect your sleep directly. Don't mention it unless you have to."

"I'm not dumb, you know," Draco said. "I know not to share something intimate just because it was shared with me."

"Good," Ginny said. "I'm going to go checkup him. You can settle in in the meantime. The top drawer in the dresser is yours. See you in a minute."


	6. mess me up, no one does it better

Chapter title is from Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae.

* * *

Harry stepped out onto the balcony and took a deep breath.

They hardly ever used the balcony, as it was too small for more than one chair, and they preferred being indoors, anyway, in case someone decided to take pictures of one of the Wizarding World's most famous couples. But he needed air, needed to think of anything else except excruciating pain and the smell of fire and the feeling of pine needles underneath him as he pretended to be dead.

He didn't hear her open the sliding door, but he felt Ginny wrap her hands around him. Rested his hands on top of hers.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't you dare," she told him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up so callously. I thought he should know."

"Yeah," Harry said, tearing his gaze away from their interlocking fingers and looking at the horizon. "I just try not to think about it."

"We all went through the war, Harry," she said. She tugged at him, and he turned around obediently. "Hey, look at me. Yeah, straight at me. I never expected you to be perfect." He snorted. "Okay, well, maybe I did when I was _eleven_. But by the time I got to know you – " She cut herself off. "I love you, Harry, and that includes your scars. Whether visible," she pressed a finger to his forehead, and he shivered. "Or not." She placed her hands on his chest, as if willing his heart to beat again. He leaned in to kiss her, but she didn't let him. "Not right now," she said. "Come on."

* * *

Ginny led Harry inside by the hand, sat him down at the dinner table, then went to the bedroom to get Draco, who was sitting silently on the bed. "You coming? We wanted to order some dinner."

"I'm not in this just for Harry," he said.

Ginny stopped breathing for a moment, then regained her senses. She closed her eyes and counted silently to ten. When she opened her eyes, Draco was standing, and he was much closer to her. Her reached out with his hand, but he hesitated, and dropped it to his side.

"You heard," she said. She was just stating the obvious, but she was still processing what he said. Then, "I'm not dumb, you know. You never looked at me twice until Harry started looking at _you_ twice."

"I think you're probably smarter than me, Harry, and your brother combined," Draco replied. "And…"

"And what?" she snapped. He raised his hands in surrender, and she forced herself to relax. "I'm sorry. Go on."

He tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling, as if praying, and then looked straight at her. "At first, it was just Harry. I can hardly pretend the effect he has on me is new. But whenever we spent time together, you were there. And so I – yes, I looked at you twice. And three times. And four.

"You glow, Ginny. You're always the brightest thing in the room. It's impossible for me to believe there was ever a time I didn't notice you."

She kissed him then, short and sweet. "Thank you," she said when she broke it off. His breath was ragged, and her heart was beating faster. She offered him her hand, and he took it. "Come on. It's time to eat."

Draco was in Harry's lap, which was a wholly unexpectedly pleasant experience. Too bad it was so decidedly not sexual.

"So you just… turn on this machine, and watch it? For hours at a time?"

"Yes," Ginny said impatiently, gesturing for him to move. He obliged, raising his legs, only to immediately drop them on her when she settled into the couch. "Now relax, because Doctor Who is on, and I plan on actually following the plot the whole way through for once."

"Doctor Who?" Draco asks.

"It's a show about an alien who travels through time," Ginny explained.

"It's been off the air for a while but they brought it back this year, and it's brilliant," Harry said. Then, "Oh, I'm sorry, off the air means it was canceled. This is a revival."

"So who's the blonde?" Draco asked.

"Merlin, are you going to ask questions the entire time?" Ginny complained.

"That's Rose," Harry said. "She's a nineteen year-old shop girl – "

"And incredible," Ginny interrupted. "Which you'd be able to see if you just shut up long enough for me _to hear_ what they're doing in an underground museum."

"Okay, okay," Draco said, "I'll be quiet."

He broke this promise repeatedly throughout the episode, until, finally, Harry was forced to threaten to kick him out, because he, too, wanted to pay attention to the show. In response Draco wiggled even closer to Harry and Ginny, whining that he was too comfortable to possibly ever leave. When – an endless period of time later that Harry and Ginny both swore was only half an hour long – the show finally ended, Draco decided to take advantage of the situation he was in.

He pulled Harry in, rougher than he usually let himself be, and Harry kissed him, just as roughly.

And then promptly pushed him off his lap.

Ginny roared, a throaty, deep laugh that rumbled through Draco's chest, and when he got back up on his feet, he leaned over and kissed her, too.

* * *

This is the last chapter. I always meant for this fic to be short, and then it kept growing, and growing. But even though I had so many ideas for where this would go - I wanted them to be together at Ron and Hermione's party, for example - I've realized that this is probably not going to get written. And so I wrote the last three sentences of this chapter and I've decided, like, fuck it. I'm gonna post it. And that's it for now. Maybe someday I'll come back to it and write a proper ending, but I figure that y'all at least deserve to see what I wrote - God, almost a year ago, now.

Bonus: I've had a note on my phone with optional chapter titles that I didn't use, and here they are:

i want you in my room (Want You In My Room by CRJ)

all of the things i wanna do to you (Into It by Camila Cabello)

let's get screwed + you fucked the world up now we'll fuck it all back down (Screwed by Janelle Monae)

a little crazy, little sexy, little cool (I Like That by Janelle Monae)

no love like your love (Nobody by Hozier)

Who knows, maybe they'll end up as chapter titles after all if I ever write more.

Thank you for being patient all this time. Wish I wasn't quite so busy.

JustGail


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